No donor fatigue for Norway as more aid pours in

BASEY, Samar—Donor fatigue will not apply in the case of Norway.

The European country is pouring in more aid to survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” amid allegations of irregularities in the rehabilitation phase of the Philippine government’s post-storm plans.

Borge Brende, Norwegian foreign minister, said his country was giving $8 million more to efforts to help survivors of Yolanda get back on their feet.

The additional funds will bring the total amount of money donated by Norway to $43 million, making Norway the third largest donor country in the campaign to raise funds for Yolanda survivors.

Brande visited this town, about 20 kilometers from Tacloban City, as part of his inspection of areas in Eastern Visayas devastated by Yolanda.

In this town, Brende led in the distribution of 40 kilograms of certified rice seeds to rice farmers. The donations are being made through the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.

Brenden said Norway was giving an additional $8 million for Yolanda survivors in response to a call made by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for more aid for storm victims in the Philippines.

Brenden could not provide details of how the money would be spent but said it would be for the rehabilitation of areas devastated by the storm.

“We were there during the disaster,” Brende said. “We will be there also when the country builds back,” said Brende.

Brende said 3,000 Norwegians were living in the Philippines while over 18,000 Filipinos now lived Norway, working mostly in the health sector.

He was the first Norwegian official to visit the storm-stricken areas in the Visayas.

Rajendra Aryal, country representative of the FAO, said the seeds distributed to farmers here during Brenden’s visit are “seeds of hope and recovery.”

Another country that continues to pour help into areas devastated by Yolanda is Japan.

In a statement, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) said it was turning over to storm-stricken areas a machine that would produce potable water using new technology developed in Japan.

Jica, in the statement, said the machine would be truck-mounted and was now being used in Daanbantayan, a town in Cebu province that was hit by Yolanda.

“This compact technology, easily loaded on a truck to move around, can filter through sand and gravel, and treat water to make it safe for drinking,” the Jica statement said.

Jica said Daanbantayan was one of the areas in the Visayas where existing water supply systems were destroyed by Yolanda. “The lack of electricity in the area has also worsened the water supply situation,” it added.

The machine, developed by Japanese firm Nihon Genryo, can supply water to at least 1,400 households in Daanbantayan. With a report by Allan Nawal, Inquirer Mindanao